Brands have tapped into a pastime trend of visiting local wet markets to connect with Chinese youth
Chinese youth now place a higher value on community and neighbourhood connections, largely driven by experiences of urban isolation during Covid lockdowns. Visiting local wet markets has become a popular pastime since 2023, offering a sense of healing in the some of the most lively parts of the city. On the lifestyle trends app Xiaohongshu/RED, the topic of 'wet markets' has garnered over 320 million views and 1.05 million posts. Last year, Xiaohongshu launched the topic 'A Guide to Wet Markets,' which has amassed over 81.6 million views to date.
Posts under topics about wet markets. Images: screenshots of Xiaohongshu/RED
Many brands, including coffee, luxury, even a dating app, are capitalizing on this trend. Let's take a look at three brands that have launched brilliant 'wet market' campaigns since 2023.
Prada: Rong Zhai Pop-Up Market and Prada-Themed Wet Market
On April 15-16 last year, Prada turned Rong Zhai into a bustling weekend market. Rong Zhai is a historic residence located in the heart of Shanghai and restored by Prada Group. The weekend market featured a selection of vendors committed to high-quality products and sustainable lifestyles, offering everything from organic vegetables, fruits, and eggs, to vinyl records, books, and ceramic vases.
Prada's bustling Rong Zhai market; organic vegetables and fruit in bags featuring Prada design. First image from KONG LEI at Women's Wear Daily, middle and bottom ones from Prada
Stalls at Prada's Rong Zhai market. Images: Xiaohongshu/RED
The event attracted nearly 3,000 visitors over the weekend. The market was open not just to guests invited by Prada but also to the general public who made reservations, bringing together a wide audience of fashion insiders and consumers. This crowd generated significant buzz on social media, sharing their experiences and photos of Rong Zhai’s spring ambiance and Prada's unique packaging. On Xiaohongshu, the '#Prada Rong Zhai' hashtag had amassed over 8.8 million views and over 10,000 posts to date.
Relaxed people at the Rong Zhai weekend market. Images: Prada's official account on Xiaohongshu/RED
Prada's foray into wet market-themed marketing wasn't a new endeavour. For two weeks in the fall of 2021, Prada took over a Shanghai wet market for the launch of its fall 2021 campaign 'Feels Like Prada.' The market's exterior and the groceries inside were all wrapped with distinctive packaging featuring its Fall/Winter 2021 signature prints. It wasn't about selling Prada-produced vegetables but about dressing them up in Prada's chic packaging, with prices remaining the same.
The exterior of the Prada wet market in 2021. Image: Prada on Weibo
Vegetables and fruit at the wet market wrapped with distinctive Prada's Fall/Winter 2021 signature prints. Images: Xiaohongshu/RED
Though it seemed unaffordable at first glance, spending just ¥20 ($2.80) at any stall would get you a Prada-customised paper bag or tote. Netizens joked, 'This might just be the only Prada I can afford.' The Prada maket was packed with people including brand followers, fashion insiders, KOLs/KOCs who took photos for their social media feeds. The topic #Prada Market trending on Weibo garnered over 1.1 million views within a week, not to mention millions of views for related topics on Xiaohongshu/RED.
Prada-customised paper bags. Images: Xiaohongshu/RED
Fashion KOL/KOC's check-in visit at the Prada wet market. Images: Xiaohongshu/RED
The cool allure of a trend-setting luxury brand met a lively, grounded local market. Prada shattered the luxury-everyday boundary, creating a compelling contrast that piqued widespread interest, drove foot traffic, and boosted brand awareness significantly. Beyond just a marketing strategy, Prada's engagement with local culture deepened emotional ties with a broad consumer base, fostering a sense of community and connection, and offering a taste of the brand's vibrancy and warmth.
Grid Coffee: An Art Exhibition Themed 'The Wonders of Yunnan Origin' on San Yuan Li Wet Market
On 21 October last year, Grid Coffee, a brand focused on single origin coffee, creatively turned the San Yuan Li wet market in Beijing into a three-week art exhibition themed 'The Wonders of Yunnan Origin.' This event was designed to introduce its new Yunnan-sourced 'Yingge(莺歌)' coffee series. Visitors could embark on a journey of artistic appreciation which was based on scenes from the brand's animated film designed for the new Yingge coffee series.
Embark on an art exhibition based on the wonderful scenes from Grid Coffee's well-curated animated film on San Yuan Li wet market. Images: Beijing Look
San Yuan Li, renowned as one of Beijing's top food markets for its outstanding local produce sourced from different areas of China, was an ideal match for Grid Coffee's commitment to product traceability, which sparked the coffee brand x San Yuan Li wet market collabs. Every vendor in the market adopted single-origin labelling. This attracted many young visitors, who came to collect limited edition coffee beans and flower bouquets for free, participate in a treasure hunt activity and receive brand gifts after collecting stamps.
Flower bouquets and coffee beans offered to visitors for free. Images: Beijing Look
Visitors involved in a treasure hunt. Images: Beijing Look
After collecting four stamps, participants in the treasure hunt activity could get brand gifts. Images: Beijing Look
Qingtenglove: Anti-Marriage Pressure Wet Market
During the 2024 Spring Festival, Qingtenglove (青藤之恋), a dating app, launched a marketing activity themed with anti-marriage pressure in a Wuhan wet market. This holiday is when young people return home to shop for New Year goods with their parents, a time where extended families commonly badger returning kids about getting married.
The market featured areas decorated with cards and banners displaying light-hearted, witty messages about anti-marriage pressure. These messages reflected young people's desire to find a life partner worth spending a lifetime with naturally, rather than rushing into marriage. Just like delicious fruits and vegetables don’t need to be rushed to ripen, a healthy relationship shouldn’t be ‘hurried’ either. This market 'exhibition' attracted many local youth to visit and voluntarily share photos on social media. . Events like this are not only budget-friendly but also connect at a timely cultural expectation sore-spot and have the potential to generate social buzz and increase brand visibility.
Vegetables and fruit decorated with cards displaying light-hearted, witty messages about marriage pressure. Images: Xiaohongshu/RED
Banners seen in every corner of the wet market with exposure of Qingtenglove's brand name and logo. Images: Xiaohongshu/RED
Many people have been surprised to see how brands have creatively combined wet markets with marketing campaigns. Yet it has boosted brand visibility and appeal, and built an emotional connection with young Chinese consumers. As Chinese youth are building bonds with their local communities/neighbourhoods more than ever before, integrating the shopping scene of wet market into marketing activities will be considered smart, effective and budget-friendly. Whilst wet market activations may not create the same social buzz as early initiatives, it should provide brands inspiration to come up with clever collaborations and placements that connect with every day cultural activities in China.
